Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for "Race Through the Dread Dimension," in Heroes Reborn #3, by Jason Aaron, Federico Vicentini, Matt Milla and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
Thanos is, unquestionably, one of the Marvel Universe's biggest threats. Although the Mad Titan has unleashed some formidable weapons on the Marvel Universe, he's also well known for one particularly infamous weapon.
Thanos' weakest weapon, the Thanos-Copter, is so infamous that it recently reemerged during "Heroes Reborn."
The Thanos-Copter made a bit of a resurgence during "Race Through the Dread Dimension in Heroes Reborn #3. Here, the Blur is dragged into the Dread Dimension by the Silver Witch. The Blur thinks that the Witch is fast, but he's raced and beaten plenty of others. This list includes Death and her "ring-powered Infinity Chopper," with which she raced the Blur across the multiverse.
The connection to Thanos is fairly clear here since Death is the love of Thanos' life on Earth-616. Moreover, in "Heroes Reborn," Thanos is depicted as using the Infinity Rings, which are Marvel's version of DC's power rings, used by the Green Lanterns and other corps.
It makes sense, then, that Thanos would use his Infinity Rings to create a chopper for his love, Death. The most interesting reference here, however, is Thanos' historical connection to helicopters. This comic is clearly referencing the notorious Thanos-Copter.
The Thanos-Copter made its debut in 1979's Spidey Super Stories #39, by Nick Sullivan, Michael Siporin, Jim Salicrup and Win Mortimer. Thanos used the Thanos-Copter to chase Hellcat in order to obtain the Cosmic Cube. The whole adventure was fairly absurd, as Thanos was beaten to the cube by a child and arrested by regular police officers.
This comic isn't officially canon in Earth-616, since it was a companion to the educational TV show, the Electric Company, which featured Spider-Man fairly often. Even so, the Thanos-Copter left its mark on The Mad Titan's public image. The visual of Thanos riding in an ordinary helicopter with his name plastered on the side was fairly humorous, making its way into several different media over the years.
In 2015's Deadpool #45, by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn and Scott Koblish, the Thanos-Copter made its way into Earth-616, when Deadpool was hired to steal the Cosmic Cube for Thanos. The 2016 video game, Lego Marvel's The Avengers, also featured the Thanos-Copter as a vehicle. The Thanos-Copter later received its own Hot Wheels toy, continuing its influence on popular culture.
Many memes were born out of the Thanos-Copter, especially as his influence grew in the MCU. During the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, some fans even made memes out of Thanos' double-edged blade since it resembled a propeller for a helicopter.
In the universe of "Heroes Reborn," the Thanos-Copter could potentially play a unique new role. It's become clear that "Heroes Reborn" is emulating several of DC's heroes and villains. Since Death has her own vehicle, racing Marvel's version of The Flash, she could potentially be Marvel's Black Racer.
The Black Racer is DC's physical manifestation of death, pursuing those whose time has come with considerable speed. Considering Death's similarity to the Black Racer as a character, not to mention her high-speed vehicle in "Heroes Reborn," it's likely that she would fill the Black Racer's shoes.
This certainly gives the Thanos-Copter a much more important role than it's had in the past. The Thanos-Copter is definitely Thanos' weakest weapon, considering how many memes have emerged from its very existence. Even though the Thanos-Copter isn't the most impressive weapon, its legacy is still cherished by creators and fans alike.
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